Electronic signs are becoming popular in retail stores in order to keep pricing and sale information as current as possible. For example, prices can be kept up-to-date without having to reprint new price sheets whenever there is a sale or price change. The customer benefits by having the up-to-date information they need about the product pricing, and the retailer benefits by having programmable information that can be readily changed by various electronic means.
One example of an electronic sign as discussed above is described in International Publication No. WO 03/083561 A2, which discloses an electronically programmable/controllable sign including multilayer displays for retail signage. The displays are fabricated with bistable material such as cholesteric liquid crystal material, which can maintain its state indefinitely in the absence of power. The sign is permanently connected to a programmer/controller and drivers.
Another example of an electronic sign is described in International Publication No. WO 03/083613 A2. It discloses a system including low power electronic signs, a remote location managing system for communicating with the plurality of signs, and means of wireless communication to said signs via a computer network connected to a server computer. The system utilizes the advantage of a bistable display by using a power source only when necessary to change the state of the display.
One problem with the signage systems described in the above publications is the cost involved in fitting a complete retail store with multiple, fully integrated signs, wherein each sign includes electronics, a power source, and encasements or frames. Most retail stores have hundreds of pricing signs throughout the store. Most of these signs need price changes once a week or less. It may not be economical to purchase a system such as those described above when many of the signs do not require frequent updates.
Another problem with the above described systems is that the signs include the electronics and power source, and are a costly substitute for paper signs, which is what they are often replacing. The signs can be difficult to mount on item racks and in holders pre-existing in stores for paper signs due to the added thickness of the electronic signs caused by the electronics and power source. These systems fail to offer a simple, cost effective way to stock a retail store with affordable, rewritable signs, which fit more closely with a retailer's pricing scheme.
There is a need for a bistable retail signage system which has a flexible design, including fully integrated electronic signage and cheaper, non-integrated or removable signage, that can be combined in numerous ways. The more flexible system would allow retail consumers to choose only those components they need to complement their existing signage, and to match their needs for frequent or infrequent signage changes, thereby reducing system costs.